With Christmas only days away, some are already setting out for their holiday travels. Auto club AAA is predicting a big jump in the number of people planning to travel this season.

An improving economy, cheaper gas prices and a longer holiday season are all leading to the busiest holiday travel period in years. AAA expects nearly 99 million people are expected to travel between Dec. 23 and New Year's weekend.

Nasir and Vickie Ali escaped the Windy City and headed south for a warmer winter.

"New Orleans was our first stop, and we've been thinking of coming to the city for some time and decided let's start with that," Nasir said.

They set out on their road trip last week and have several stops planned throughout the holidays.

"It took two minds to do this. We sat down and we spent all day mapping the route out. We're going to Florida next, Sanibel Island, Orlando and we might stop in North Carolina," Vickie said.

With gas prices the lowest they have been in more than five years, the long road trip will not cost quite as much. The average price of regular gasoline nationwide has dropped 25 cents a gallon in the past two weeks, to $2.47.

"Typically for my car it's $66 or $64 or something like that, and now it's like $44 or $43," Vickie said.

AAA predicts a four percent increase in car travel this Christmas, the biggest jump in five years. Airfares have not fallen nearly as much as gasoline, which may account for the slight 1 percent increase in air travel this Christmas.

Dan Willinger and Linda Nafria traveled from the east and west coasts to have a Big Easy Christmas.

"We've been having a long distance relationship for a little bit and we decided to spend Christmas holiday here in New Orleans," Willinger said.

"This is definitely a step out," Nafria said. "We're really enjoying both holidays, both Thanksgiving and Christmas because it is just us, because we're in love."

The calendar is also expected to boost holiday travel. With Christmas and New Year's falling on a Thursday this year, many people get the next day off work, making for the travel period a little longer. AAA says that usually translates into more people traveling by car and fewer by air. More than nine in 10 who travel are expected to go by car.

A variety of storms could impact more than 20 states with wind, rain and snow on Tuesday and into Christmas Eve. It could mean travel delays on the roads and in the skies, so it would be best to leave early for your holiday destinations.